Midnight Cry puts holiday music on edge

During the holiday season last year, Midnight Cry sold out The Bing Crosby Theater.

Trans-Siberian Orchestra style, the local band wowed the crowd with symphonic-rock renditions of holiday favorites.

This weekend, Midnight Cry is back at The Bing, but a lot has changed.

The Spokane octet has some new members and new music, all of which is original and can be found on the debut full-length album, “Fight for This Crime,” self-released last month.

The new music is explicitly spiritual in its context but it’s a departure from Midnight Cry’s usual fare; it has everything to do with Christ, but nothing to do with Christmas.

Bandleader and lead keyboardist Leighton Miles is clear about the intent of his group – which also includes singers Amalie Marte, Danielle Dupey; guitarists Trevor Murch and Lamont Miles; bassist Ryan Rauch; drummer Jessie Slippy; and keyboardist David Johnson. This isn’t worship and praise music. It challenges Christians.

“A lot of us were raised in a judgmental Christian, or religious environment. There were a lot of rules but not a lot of understanding of who God really is and what he wants for us and of us. Instead, there was a lot of hypocrisy where people were saying one thing but doing something else behind closed doors,” Miles said. “We wanted something living and true, instead of living two lives.”

Even though the music confronts Christianity, the majority of Midnight Cry’s fan base stems from the church community. That, too, is by design.

“I think if everyone listens to it with an open mind they’ll understand and really appreciate it, but people that are in a position of judgment of other people may be offended,” Miles said. “We have a song called ‘Poisoned God’ that speaks to the God that people have created with all of these preconceived ideas about who God is. I feel like God is honestly painted with the wrong picture and we want to set out to change that. A lot of times churches will be out picketing about homosexuality and the hate that goes with that and that paints God in the wrong picture. We don’t want to be religious. We want to love people.

“We’re challenging what churches are saying but that’s our audience. We know people are stuck in that idea but the music can help them rethink how they approach God. Our music isn’t about being comfortable. It’s about growing.”